Students sent on mission trips to Haiti and Philidephia over spring break

Two teams of students were sent to serve in Haiti and Philadelphia as a mission trip over the week of spring break, March 14-21.

The Haiti team, led by senior Jeremy Miller, with Mission of Hope, a large missions organization stationed near Port au Prince. The organization is founded by two graduates of the university, Brad and Vanessa Johnson.

In Haiti, the team of nineteen performed various projects including interacting with village members, playing with children, passing hygiene kits out to locals, hosting a Kid’s Club, planting fruit trees and painting latrines.

Many of the team members had never been on a mission trip before.

“It pushes you out of your comfort zone,” senior Antonio Castillo said regarding the trip. “It shows you other cultures and their love for Jesus. It gets you out of the American bubble that we live in.”

The team said they desired to show the love of Christ through every service project.

“The Kid’s Club that we put on for the village was my favorite,” freshman Ellie Rife said. “I saw the impact because after we left, the village champion told us that the locals had approached him to say that they wanted to get involved in the church again and bring their families.”

SERVE: Six students went on a mission trip to Philadelphia over spring break. (Photo provided)

Over a thousand miles away back in the states, the Philadelphia team, led by junior Nicco Ravenna, worked with Urban Hope Ministries to reach out to youth, families and people on the streets of the city.

The team participated in projects like prayer walks, ministering to the homeless and replacing fire alarms for families.

Several team members said the theme of the trip was getting out of their comfort zone. Through this, freshman Shawna Miller said she was able to reach out to a greater community.

“My favorite part was the prayer walks we did around the city,” Miller said. “I loved praying while we walked, then going to random houses, knocking on doors and praying with the people there. We got to share the Gospel a lot through that.”